How To Dye Your Hair At Home Using L'Oreal Excellence
I'm Adore Beauty's resident beauty newbie. Before working at Adore, I was travelling the world for 4 months with just one tiny tube of Jurlique moisturiser. I washed my face with warm water and used olive oil as a deep conditioning treatment. Oh, how things have changed!
After going back to brunette from bleached blonde hair, Hannah decided to maintain her colour with a D.I.Y. box dye rather than heading back to the salon.
A few rounds later, she has picked up some of her best tips and tricks for dyeing your hair at home, all while using the L'Oreal Paris Excellence Permanent Hair Colour in Light Ash Brown 6.1.
Her experience of making the switch from salon visits to at-home colour has given her a practical sense of what works, and she now shares the advice she has learned along the way.
For anyone navigating a similar return to brunette or simply looking to keep their shade fresh without booking an appointment, her approach is rooted in firsthand trial and error.
Using the same product throughout, she has built up a reliable routine and a clearer understanding of how to get the most out of dyeing your hair at home while maintaining the colour she wanted after bleaching.
D.I.Y. Pro Tips:
- Each box dye shade and variation has its own instructions so make sure you read the instructions TWICE.
- Always wear gloves when dying your hair at home.
- If you have long or thick hair, you might need to use two box dyes.
- Section your hair into four parts, this is particularly important if you have a lot of hair, as this will help make dyeing it feel more manageable. Start with each section and move through.
- Wear clothes you don’t mind ruining or getting stained.
- Hannah suggests that if you’re choosing between two colours, to go for the lighter shade, as you can always go darker.
- You can put Vaseline or a balm on your hairline to avoid the hair dye staining. If you don't have any you can use some Micellar Water on a cotton pad to clean things up.
Hannah’s How-To Guide To Dyeing Your Hair At Home:
Step 3: Separate hair
Step 3: Separate hair
Using a comb, separate your hair into 4 sections using a hair tie or clip. This will help the dye get even coverage over your hair.
Step 4: Pour colour creme into developer
Step 4: Pour colour creme into developer
Pour the colour creme (1a) entirely into the developer (1b). Close the applicator tip on the developer and shake the product to ensure a completely even mixture. Twist off the applicator cap immediately to avoid the product overflowing. You can then attach the comb applicator if you choose.
Step 5: Apply to your roots, lengths and ends
Step 5: Apply to your roots, lengths and ends
Apply the product to the roots of your hair and then bring it down through to your lengths and ends, massaging it in as you go.
Step 6: Leave in for 30 mins
Step 6: Leave in for 30 mins
Clean up any dye left along your hair line with some Micellar Water on a cotton pad then let the colour develop for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Rinse your hair
Step 7: Rinse your hair
In the shower add a small amount of water and massage it into your hair before rinsing off the dye completely, until the water goes clean. At this point you can take off your gloves and apply the shampoo treatment. Lather it up before rinsing it off.
Step 8: Finish with the conditioning treatment
Step 8: Finish with the conditioning treatment
Finally, go in with the Excellence Creme Nourishing Mask. Leave this on for 3 minutes before rinsing. You can continue to use this product throughout the week if you don’t finish it.
How do I fix orange hair with a box dye?
If your hair has become orange or brassy due to bleaching or dyeing, a great way to neutralise these tones is to darken your hair with a darker, cool toned pigment. This can come in the form of a toner, a semi-permanent or permanent box dye.
The first number on your L’Oreal box dye indicates how dark the colour of the dye is. The second number on the box dye indicates how cool or warm the tone of the colour is, making it easy to figure out what the best hair dye for you will be.
This routine was transcribed by India Williams
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